Star Wars: Rise of the Empire
by Alsend Drake
Summary: After Order 66, The Empire rises as small pockets of resistance slowly crop up and a group of heroes do what they can to survive in a rapidly-changing universe. Drew Fulmire, Amaran Bounty Hunter's Distaste in the changes in the Republic becoming the Empire reaches it's climax with his newest Target, leading him to turn on the Empire... (Currently a One-Shot)


In Honor of Rouge One...  
*Music*  
_

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARS: A New Era

Episode 1a: Rise of the Empire

In the wake of Order 66, the Jedi's ranks are ravaged and the survivors scattered to the winds. With nobody to stand against him, Emporer Palpetine's Galactic Empire's evil spreads across the galaxy seemingly unopposed.

However, rumors of forces standing against the new Empire in remote areas of the galaxy spread, of which the Empire moves to squelsh quickly, hiring Bounty Hunters aided by Stormtroopers, or sending in their own special forces, systematicly destroying any resistance or Jedi they come across.

A new rumor of two escaped Padawans moving to meet and possibly attempt to make contect with a developing Rebelion reaches the Empire, and an Amaran Bounty Hunter, Drew Fulmire, agrees to look into it, and heads to the wilds of his homeworld, Amar.

On Amar, the young Squib Padawan called Yachi arrives, ready to meet with the other escaped Padawan, unaware of the Empire forces closing in on them.

Drew Fulmire finished shutting down his ship, his mind wandering. Things had changed so much in such a short time. He thought back to when he started Bounty Hunting for the Rupublic, after a close call with Sepertists in his smuggling opperations. How he'd been cleaning up the universe from the scum, and also... maybe, just maybe, if he got close to the Republic, he may be able to see her after she'd gone away. He shook his head, with the rise of the Empire, odds were she was long gone. He sighed deeply, watching the Stormtroopers disembarking from their transports, made sure his trusty blaster was still holstered, and stood, sweeping his jacket over it to hide it, and shouldering the heavy rifle the Empire had insisted he take.

The Amaran disembarked from his ship, letting the gentle breeze blowing across the plains they'd landed in to gently ruffle the fur that showed. As an Amaran, Drew was quite a bit on the short side, though he was tall for an Amaran, and was Vulpine in origen. He just eyed the Stormtroopers somewhat warilly, and turned to head off towards the location of the suspected randeveau, not even checking to ensure the troopers follow. He stopped multiple times durring his march, as hordes of local wildlife made their way around, not wanting to cause a stampeede. Once or twice, he had to run interference to cover a wayward trooper's mistep. Soon enough, he gives the order for the troopers to stop so he can scout the area.

Slipping into a tall tree, he looks down into the clearing, and sure enough, one of the targets stand there, but seeing her caused his eyes to widen. It was her. She'd survived. Knowing he has to act, he makes a small pattern of clicks not too disimilar to the natural wildlife, and watches her stiffen, her hand moving towards her lightsaber before relaxing slightly and returning a series of clicks. It was her. With a few mimiced cries, she nodded slightly in understanding. Grinning, he slinked back to the waiting Stormtroopers. "There's only one of them as of yet." he tells the group. "We can strike now for the most damage." he grins lightly, not letting them know who the damage was going to be against.

The legions of Stormtroopers burst from the foilage, laying down heavy fire, only to have it sent right back at them with deft swipes from her Lightsaber, mowing down trooper after trooper. The troops started to get a bit antsy, but stayed in formation, until a series of bolts and an explosion tore into their ranks from behind as the Empire-issued rifle detonated under a few well-placed shots by the Amaran they had thought to on their side. With this shift in the tides, the remaining troopers broke ranks and fled into the wilds. Holstering his blaster, Drew made his way over to the Padawan, embracing her. "I'm so glad you're ok!" He smiled.

"Of course, you know I wouldn't let myself be done in by a sneak attack, brother dear." Aurora Fulmire replied, grinning as she returns the embrace. "And thanks to you, that was no sneak attack."

"But how, even if you survived the first attack, Clones were everywhere, how'd you ever survive? Our people arent the most common people in the universe."

"That was simple, I'd been on a mission to Kashyyk with Master Wha-tu. He managed to deflect the first shots, and we dispached the squad, but he took a shot. The Wookies tried to save him, but the shot was fatal..." She paused for a minute. "The Wookies managed to fight off the Clones who tried to attack, and thus I survived. Only two others I knew survived. In fact, I'm planning on meeting one here, he should be arriving soon."

"Who's this?" A new voice said, as the two turned to a somewhat canine being approaching, wearing an outfit not too dissimilar to Drew's, but the heft of the satchel he had seemed to suggest it held something, presumably a lightsaber.

"Yachi, you made it." She smiled. "This is my brother, Drew. He came here with some Stormtroopers as a Bounty Hunter, but tipped me off and even helped scare them off."

"You know this'll mark you, right?" he looks at the male Amaran.

"Eh, I started hunting for the Republic, not the Empire." he shrugged. "I've been listening for any resistance movements that actually gain traction to strike, but when I heard about what sounded like sis, I knew I needed to move my plans up." Drew shrugs. "Besides, Im both Amaran and well-versed in the ways of Bounty Hunting. I know how to lie low, though I heard you two were planning on meeting with a Rebelion of some sort?

"I don't have anything to say on that."

"Yachi, it's ok, we can trust him."

"How do you know?!" He snapped back. "He could be bugged!"

"The only thing of Imperial Origen that's gotten near my ship or my gear was that Imperial-issued rifle I used as a makeshift bomb."

Before any reply can be made, an imperial shuttle zooms overhead. Seeing this, Yachi laughs. "Look at them run!" However, Drew noticed something he'd missed.

"No... That's not the shuttle that came in..." His eyes wide. "RUN!" He pulls Aurora with him as he runs in the opposite direction as troopers start to emerge from the trees, their dark grey armor marking them as special ops units. "Go, go, go!" he turns, firing back at the troopers to force them to duck to avoid his shots, buying them time to run. "Where's your ship? We have to assume mine's Compromised." he says, blind fireing back towards the approaching troopers.

"What's going on?" Yachi demands.

"What shuttle was an Imperial Spec Ops ship. There are two squadrons. That one's Slash's. Let's just say, he's out there, and we DON'T want to run into him!"

"Who's Slash?"

"Big Cathar. Strong bloodlust. He delights in slaughter, and is relentless with his saber. His family was part of a cult basicly worshiping the sith and their teaching, and when the empire found them and the brothers, made them part of the special operations division. At least it seems his brother, Shade, isn't here. His specialy is stealth and sutlety, so nobody's ever even seen him and lived to tell the tale. The only way to know he's around is usually when his troops show up. And even then that's no guarentees, unlike his brother, Shade often goes out alone, or sends his troops out alone... Where's the ship?"

"Here!" Yachi, pounds a button, the hatch lowering. A moment later, a few swears in the Squib's native language fill the air. "Thrusters are damaged, I need to make repairs." the padawan emerges with a toolkit. "It'll be a few, keep them off us!"

The troopers footsteps grow louder, but silence on a growl. Then, a large, Leonine Cathar emerges from the foilage, a Lightsaber blazing to life in his hand. "Well, Well, Well... Someone's been bad..." Aurora steps foreward, drawing her Saber. "Oh, it you... The one we came for... your friends are just bonus." he bares his fangs as she charges, their sabers clashing and sparks flying as the troopers close in.

"Hurry it up there!" Drew draws his blaster and fires off volly after volly at the aproaching troopers, ducking blaster shots as needed. "We're gonna get overrun here!"

"I know, I know... GOT IT!" the ship hums as the troopers seem to back off, knowing that overruning the two at the ship wouldn't happen, and created a circle around the two dueling warriors, and one fired a shot, followed by a yell.

"Sis!" Drew roared, aiming a shot, and fired, the bolt flying true, and striking one of the heavier weapons in just the right way. As the weapon's containment melted to slag as the energy detonated, blowing a hole in the wall of troopers.

"Stop!" Yachi grabbed for him, but it was too late, and Drew found himselfing looking up into the battle-crazed Cathar, his sister at his feet, her lightsaber bumping into his foot. Furious, he scooped it up in his left hand, and it leapt to life and he threw himself at the dark warrior, slicing furiously at him, but every attack being easilly wisted against him, and soon found himself on the defence, before he knew it, the two's sabers were locked together as the other growled at him, looking ready to eat him, before his eyes shot open, and he staggered back, clutching at his smoking armor, Drew's blaster's shot having melted a portion of it, burning him opponent. Grinning, he pressed foreward, pairing wide slices with carefully aimed bolts, forcing the stronger, more skilled warrior to focus on defence, making him have to take a hit or two to turn the tables again, and with no guarentee this shot would be stopped, and if the saber got through, the fight was as good as over. Soon enough, the Cathar bellows a retreat, as he slices a tree, felling it between them.

"Wow... I cant believe that worked..." Yachi said surprised as Drew scooped up his sister.

"Odds are it wont work again. I never understood why saber users dont use blasters too." Drew settled his sister's body then buckled in. "Let's go... She deserves to be taken home."

-  
Sorry it took so long, had to focus on classes and then had a pretty busy summer and when I did occasionally get time, I just couldnt get much done.


End file.
